Lighter for heating up a smokeless cigarette

Abstract

A lighter for heating-up a smokeless cigarette comprises a housing having a fuel reservoir connected with a burner nozzle via a valve. An igniting device is disposed near the burner nozzle. The valve is openable by an actuator provided on the housing, whereby a flame is ignited by the igniting device. A receptacle is disposed adjacent to the burner nozzle and the igniting device, is accessible through a hole in the housing and is formed in the interior of the housing. The end of a cigarette body facing away from a mouthpiece is inserted into the receptacle so that the corresponding end of a heating pipe, which faces towards the burner nozzle, is heated by the flame in order to vaporize a stimulant in the cigarette. The cigarette can be removed from the receptacle after the stimulant begins to vaporize.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
   
   
       6 . A lighter for heating-up a smokeless cigarette, wherein the cigarette comprises a cigarette body including a heating pipe made of a heat-conducting material surrounded by an outer sheath made of a thermally-insulting material, wherein a mouthpiece is attachable to an end of the cigarette body such that a stimulant disposed between the mouthpiece and the end of the heating pipe facing towards the mouthpiece is in contact with the mouthpiece, the stimulant being heatable up to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the stimulant by heating the end of the heating pipe facing away from the mouthpiece,
 wherein the lighter comprises:   a fuel reservoir disposed in a housing,   a burner nozzle in communication with the fuel reservoir via a valve, the valve being openable by an actuator provided on the housing,   an igniting device disposed adjacent to the burner nozzle for igniting a flame,   a receptacle defined in the interior of the housing, the receptacle being adjacent to the burner nozzle and the igniting device and being accessible through a hole defined in the housing, wherein the receptacle is configured such that the end of the cigarette body facing away from the mouthpiece is insertable into the receptacle so that the corresponding end of the heating pipe, which faces towards the burner nozzle, is heatable by the flame for vaporizing the stimulant and the cigarette body is removable from the receptacle after the stimulant begins to vaporize, and   a thermal sensor configured to sense the temperature of the end portion of the inserted cigarette that faces towards the burner nozzle and configured to close the valve when a threshold temperature is exceeded.   
   
   
       7 . A lighter according to  claim 6 , wherein openings for admitting fresh air are defined in the housing adjacent the burner nozzle. 
   
   
       8 . A lighter according to  claim 7 , wherein a section of the housing is transparent such that a flame emanating from the burner nozzle is visible outside of the housing. 
   
   
       9 . A lighter according to  claim 8 , further comprising a sleeve disposed in the housing for receiving an end portion of the cigarette body, wherein the thermal sensor comprises a bimetal strip configured to sense the temperature of the sleeve and configured to close the valve by deformation of the bimetal strip. 
   
   
       10 . A lighter according to  claim 6 , wherein a section of the housing is transparent such that a flame emanating from the burner nozzle is visible outside of the housing. 
   
   
       11 . A lighter according to  claim 6 , wherein the thermal sensor comprises a bimetal strip coupled to the valve and arranged to sense the temperature in or near the receptacle, wherein the bimetal strip deforms above the temperature threshold and closes the valve when it deforms. 
   
   
       12 . A lighter according to  claim 11 , further comprising a sleeve for receiving the cigarette body disposed in the receptacle, the bimetal strip being configured to sense the temperature of the sleeve. 
   
   
       13 . A lighter for heating-up a smokeless cigarette, comprising:
 a fuel reservoir disposed in a housing,   a fuel nozzle in communication with the fuel reservoir via a valve, the valve being openable by an actuator provided on the housing,   an igniting device disposed adjacent to the burner nozzle and configured to ignite a flame when the valve is opened,   a receptacle defined in the interior of the housing, the receptacle being adjacent to the fuel nozzle and the igniting device and being accessible through a hole defined in the housing, wherein the receptacle is configured to receive an end portion of the smokeless cigarette, and   a thermal sensor configured to sense the temperature of the end portion of an inserted smokeless cigarette and configured to close the valve, thereby extinguishing the flame, when thermal sensor senses that a threshold temperature has been exceeded.   
   
   
       14 . A lighter according to  claim 13 , wherein openings for admitting fresh air are defined in the housing adjacent the fuel nozzle. 
   
   
       15 . A lighter according to  claim 14 , wherein a section of the housing is transparent such that a flame emanating from the fuel nozzle is visible outside of the housing. 
   
   
       16 . A lighter according to  claim 15 , further comprising a sleeve disposed in the receptacle for receiving the end portion of the smokeless cigarette, wherein the thermal sensor comprises a bimetal strip configured to sense the temperature of the sleeve and configured to close the valve by deformation of the bimetal strip. 
   
   
       17 . A lighter according to  claim 13 , wherein a section of the housing is transparent such that a flame emanating from the fuel nozzle is visible outside of the housing. 
   
   
       18 . A lighter according to  claim 13 , wherein the thermal sensor comprises a bimetal strip coupled to the valve and arranged to sense the temperature in or near the receptacle, wherein the bimetal strip deforms above the temperature threshold and closes the valve when it deforms. 
   
   
       19 . A lighter according to  claim 18 , further comprising a sleeve for receiving the smokeless cigarette disposed in the receptacle, the bimetal strip being configured to sense the temperature of the sleeve. 
   
   
       20 . A lighter according to  claim 19 , wherein opposite ends of the bimetal strip are in thermal communication with the sleeve and a middle portion of the bimetal strip is mechanically coupled to the valve such that deformation of the bimetal strip causes the valve to close. 
   
   
       21 . A method for heating-up an end portion of a smokeless cigarette, comprising:
 inserting the end portion of the smokeless cigarette into a receptacle defined in a lighter,   igniting a flame inside the lighter so as to heat-up the end portion of a heating pipe disposed in the smokeless cigarette,   sensing the temperature of the end portion of the smokeless cigarette while the flame is heating-up the end portion of the smokeless cigarette, and   extinguishing the flame when the sensed temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature.   
   
   
       22 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein the lighter comprises a bimetal strip in thermal communication with the end portion of the smokeless cigarette, the bimetal strip deforming above the predetermined threshold temperature. 
   
   
       23 . A method according to  claim 22 , wherein the bimetal strip is mechanically coupled to a valve that extinguishes the flame when the bimetal strip deforms. 
   
   
       24 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein the lighter comprises a thermal sensor coupled to a valve and the method further comprises closing the valve to extinguish the flame when the thermal sensor senses that the predetermined threshold temperature has been exceeded. 
   
   
       25 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein the predetermined threshold temperature is a temperature at which a stimulant associated with the smokeless cigarette vaporizes.